Kansans Petition Brownback to Implement Affordable Care Act

Why are U.S. citizens crossing the Texas border into Mexico for their prescriptions, doctor visits, dental care and even surgery? People from as far away as Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois can no longer afford health care in the U.S. (CBS)

TOPEKA -- Despite a ruling by the Supreme Court of the United States, Kansas Governor Sam Brownback, a strong opponent of healthcare reform, has announced that he will stall implementing the healthcare exchange program mandated by the Affordable Care Act until after the elections, prompting thousands of Kansans to add their names to a SignOn.org petition calling on the Governor to begin implementing the reforms immediately.

Approximately 350,000 Kansans currently have no health insurance, and 53,000 of those arechildren. However, Gov. Brownback has pledged to remain inactive on healthcare reform until after the elections, banking on Mitt Romney’s election and subsequent repeal of the Affordable Care Act. By doing so, he is ignoring the November 16th deadline for states to submit plans for exchange program implementation. Last year, Gov. Brownback refused a federal grant that would have provided $31.5 million to the state of Kansas to help establish the computer infrastructure necessary for the exchange program.

In response, more than 3,500 Kansans have joined with Kirk Harris, who lost his healthcare in 2009 after being laid off from his job at Chrysler Financial only a week after completing a months long process to actually gain coverage, in an explosive petition on SignOn.org urging Governor Brownback not to let partisan politics take priority over the health of Kansans and to implement the Affordable Care Act immediately.

"It appears as though Governor Brownback would rather waste the state's time and money trying to defeat and delay the Affordable Care Act than to do his job and implement the requirements in a timely manner,” said Mr. Harris. “I started my petition on SignOn.org to demand that the Governor stop playing partisan political games and look out for the best interest of all Kansans.

"I know how hard it is to live without affordable healthcare, and I’ve watched my parents be excluded from raises and commissions because they’re dependent on their company’s health plan. Kansans deserve better than to suffer under an unaffordable, unfair healthcare system, and people in need shouldn’t be punished because they don’t have a billion dollar Super PAC to influence politicians."

Under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, states are required to set up health insurance exchange programs by January 2014, with the help of federal grants to implement these programs.

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